Continue is the latest thriller from acclaimed director Jaume Collet-Serra, which follows a hapless LAX security officer who is unwittingly drawn into an international conspiracy when a suspicious suitcase shows up on his watch. The film stars Taron Egerton and Jason Bateman in two very different roles, with the latter ditching his typical comedy for a grittier, more villainous character who helps move the story forward. It is one of the best current films on Netflix and pays homage to a classic style of action/suspense storytelling.
While Continue has a very original story, full of twists, and also feels very familiar – It's the kind of mid-budget thriller that doesn't get made that often anymore but it was very popular during the 90s and early 2000s. As such, Continue It's very reminiscent of these types of modern classics, using some realistic performances and some creative plot twists to keep the audience engaged despite the film's rather simple narrative. Continue really soars during its finale, when Collet-Serra leans fully into that high-octane style.
10
Panic Room (2002)
Directed by David Fincher
Fincher Panic Room It's one of the director's lesser-known projects, but it's undeniably one of his most exciting. The film stars Kristen Stewart and Jodie Foster as a mother and daughter who hide in their panic room when their home is broken into, but the thieves soon reveal that their intentions are much darker and more serious than a normal robbery.
What's so bright Panic Room is the way Fincher takes such a simple story and elevates it with smart directionsharp writing and two powerful performances that make it all feel authentic despite the melodrama of it all. Continue takes a very similar approach, taking a concept that seems a bit far-fetched on paper but making it engaging by fully committing to the story.
9
The Culprit (2021)
Directed by Antoine Fuqua
Antoine Fuqua is best known for the most action-packed thrillers in his filmography, including projects such as The equalizer and Training daybut The Culprit is a much more restrained, low-stakes thriller that is equally gripping. The film follows a 911 dispatch officer who receives a suspicious call that he can't shake, leading him down a dangerous road of mysteries and hidden messages to help save the life of the young woman on the other end of the line.
The Culprit is loosely inspired by real events, and this is obvious through Fuqua's very grounded and attentive depiction of this story. ContinueThe first act of takes a very similar approach, and while it's not based in truth, it still feels incredibly real as it balances on the chemistry between Egerton and Bateman's character conversations.
8
Buried (2010)
Directed by Rodrigo Cortes
The buried is often remembered for Ryan Reynolds' fierce performance, but the film itself doesn't get enough credit for its tight storytelling and uncanny ability to create tension in the blink of an eye. The narrative revolves around an American soldier who wakes up in a dusty coffin trapped several feet underground with nothing but a cell phone and a lighter to figure out how to save himself from imminent death.
It's Reynolds' charming, visceral performance that makes the audience care about his well-being, much like Egerton's character in Continue.
Buried is one of Ryan Reynolds' best films, mainly because it is simple and authentic. It doesn't rely on international espionage or high-stakes threats to keep the audience on edge, but rather the life of a single character who is in obvious danger. It's Reynolds' charming, visceral performance that makes the audience care about his well-being, much like Egerton's character in Continue.
7
Red Eyes (2005)
Directed by Wes Craven
Red Eye
Red Eye (2005) is a suspense thriller film directed by Wes Craven, featuring Rachel McAdams as Lisa Reisert, a hotel manager who becomes involved in a plot orchestrated by Jackson Rippner, played by Cillian Murphy. The film's tension rises during a night flight, where Lisa must thwart a scheme that threatens not only her life, but the lives of others.
- Release date
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August 19, 2005
- Execution time
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85 minutes
- Writers
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Carl Ellsworth
Wes Craven Red Eye is very different from the rest of the director's filmography, abandoning the supernatural monsters and bloody killers for a much more personal and tangible story about a plane that is hijacked by a terrorist. The narrative is told from the perspective of Rachel McAdams' character Lisa, who unknowingly befriends the killer before he takes over the plane and tries to kill an important American diplomat.
Red Eye shares many important themes with Continuealthough it is much more evident and obvious in its action. The latter spends more time building tension and intrigue regarding the content of the mysterious case, while Craven's film is action-packed from the start. It also features one of Cillian Murphy's most entertaining and entertaining performances as Jackson, the terrorist who takes control of the flight.
6
Nonstop (2014)
Directed by Jaume Collet-Serra
Continue is something of a return to form for Jaume Collet-Serra, who rose to prominence as an emerging voice in mid-budget thrillers before moving on to blockbuster projects like Jungle Cruise and Black Adam. Non-stop was one of his first films, starring Liam Neeson as a US air marshal who finds himself blackmailed into transferring huge sums of money to an offshore account in exchange for the lives of his passengers.
Much like Collet-Serra's last film, Non-stop is a masterclass in how to create tension using nothing but crisp dialogue between two excellent actors. Nothing innovative happens until Non-stop ending, and most of the film consists of dramatic conversations that plant the seeds of the action that will follow. It's a formula Collet-Serra has followed for a long time, but it almost always works.
5
The Call (2013)
Directed by Brad Anderson
The Call is another film whose tension and excitement are created primarily through emotional phone calls with other characters, as well as Continue. The film revolves around a dispatcher who uses her many years of experience to discover the location of a kidnapped girl through several calls to key witnesses.
Very similar The Culprit, Anderson's film is bolstered by his lead performance – in this case, by Halle Berry. She is the only character on screen for most of the story, with the rest of the cast only providing voice over calls. It's a story that shouldn't be as moving as it is on paper, but Anderson's dynamic direction and Berry's palpable compassion really make it work.
4
Speed (1994)
Directed by Jan de Bont
Speed is one of the best action films of the 1990s and has only gotten better with time. With Keanu Reeves and Sandra Bullock in the lead roles, Jan de Bont's film follows a city bus rigged with explosives by a dangerous terrorist, who threatens to blow up the device if the vehicle's speed drops below a certain limit.
What it does Speed Such effective work is the constant possibility of the bomb exploding – even though the audience knows that it really won't happen. De Bont's direction always ensures that the threat remains in the background, and the lead performances from Reeves and Bullock do a great job of capturing the constant terror of the situation.
3
Phone Booth (2002)
Directed by Joel Schumacher
Phone booth is undeniably the film that has drawn the most comparisons to Continueas their plots are surprisingly similar. Schumacher's film revolves around a man named Stu (played by Colin Farrell), who answers a call from an unknown number in a phone booth and is forced to comply with his caller's increasingly dangerous and destructive demands if he is to remain. alive. As Continue, the film explores the lengths people will go to protect themselves and their loved ones.
The entirety of Phone booth consists of conversations between Farrell's protagonist and Keifer Sutherland's elusive villain on the other end of the phone, as the two enter into a battle of wits despite never looking each other in the eye.
The entirety of Phone booth consists of conversations between Farrell's protagonist and Keifer Sutherland's elusive villain on the other end of the phone, as the two enter into a battle of wits despite never looking each other in the eye. The entire film revolves around the electric dynamic between these two actors, in a very similar way to ContinueThe tension between Egerton and Bateman's characters.
2
Warranty (2004)
Directed by Michael Mann
No one can direct a thriller like Michael Mann, and Guarantee is one of his most intense and moving stories to date. The film revolves around Jamie Foxx's character, a taxi driver named Max, who picks up a dangerous client and ends up involved in a brutal murder after realizing he was hired by a killer. Guarantee features one of Tom Cruise's best performances as the eccentric Vincent, the assassin who finds himself in a dangerous conflict with Max's moral compass.
The best part of GuaranteeBeyond the dynamic between Cruise and Fox's well-written characters is the film's ability to constantly ramp up the danger levels at any given moment. Whenever the audience thinks the film has reached its peak intensity, Guarantee goes even further and raises the stakes even further. This makes for an unbeatable viewing experience, and Mann somehow ties up all the loose ends in the film's explosive ending.
1
Die Hard (1988)
Directed by John McTiernan
Continue has faced several comparisons to beloved Christmas films thanks to its festive setting, but there's one holiday film that feels closer than any other. John McTiernan Die Hard is a classic of the action genre, centering on a Los Angeles detective on Christmas Eve who enters a dangerous hostage situation to save his wife and everyone she works with.
The similarities between Continue and Die Hard are obvious: Both are set on Christmas Eve, both feature main characters whose love interests are used as hostages, and both revolve around terrorists who force the protagonist to carry out their plans to save civilian lives. McTiernan's classic was obviously an inspiration for Continueand Collet-Serra's film does a great job of living up to its festive legacy.